Insurance experts publish new rehab code for personal injury cases

The document encourages collaboration to ensure the best care and treatment

This is the third time the code, which aims to improve rehabilitation for people involved in personal injury legal cases, has been revised since it was first published in 1999.

It is drawn up by a working party that includes representatives from the NHS, the Association of British Insurers, legal groups, and the International Underwriting Association.

The voluntary document aims to encourage collaboration between claimants and defendants in personal injury legal cases, in order to ensure that the injured person receives the best care and treatment.

The main difference in the new code is a separate section for low-value claims, those worth under £25,000, where the code recognises the need for a more streamlined process.

Rehab managers and NHS clinicians

In more serious cases it encourages rehab case managers to work more proactively with NHS clinicians providing treatment.

The working party that produced the code has also published for the first time a guide for rehab case managers, and those who commission them, which is designed to run alongside the rehab code itself.

CSP head of practice, Steve Tolan, said: ‘The CSP recommends that members undertaking personal injury work take the time to review the rehab code.

'In particular, it’s important to understand the requirements which this code puts on record-keeping and assessment – especially to ensure that activities such as assessing mental capacity are within personal scope of practice’.